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Parismarais Newsletter |
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AAA For Le Marais |
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Aren’t you fed up with a society whose only values are banking and finance ? Aren’t you upset by the 1% of the world population whose got the lion’s share of finance and is causing the rest of the planet to starve ? Aren’t you shocked that despite the global increase of the planet’s wealth, only 1% of the super rich control 99% of it ? It’s time for the AAA revolution ! There are other values in life. A as in Art of Living, A as in Amité, and A as in Authenticity. It’s not about Money, Money, Money. There are other values than working more to earn less, other ideas than giving satisfaction to markets, and other solutions than retirement funds. The real values are embodied here in le Marais. It’s a model of luxury that can be termed « alter-globalist ». Here, the Art of Living prevails. There’s a sense of generosity the uneducated people will never understand because they only think of themselves. Unlike cats, we only live once. We should enjoy life now by taking care of the ones around us and enjoy every single minute of each day. A sure cure for depression is the Alternative choice that the le Marais values offer. It boasts unique boutiques. No big brand names are here, no chain stores either. Le Marais is also chock full of independant hotels and small businesses all ready to serve the community. In some ways you might say it’s an island of peace, friendship and solidarity. Because we have an ethic, because we promote only those who appreciate these values, we’ll give our own AAA to our favourite adresses. Joyeux Noël, et Bonnes Fêtes de fin d’année
PS: All the hotels and guesthouses we represent - the ultimate selection of the top of the top addresses - will be happy to welcome you like a king and promise not to chop your head off. For le Marais Hotels, please make your request by following these links: As you may have noticed, our site has been completely redone with PHP technology, meaning that the url's you kept in the past in your links will soon disappear or be redirected to new ones. Please bookmark these new ones. 4 star hotels
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AAA restaurants to warm you up on cold days. |
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Le BouledogueVery close to Beaubourg and many art galleries, the Bouledogue is a culinary rendez-vous for lovers of art, culture and those with the taste for things of quality as well as authenticity. In an atmosphere that is both lively and warm, in the tradition of great Parisian brasseries, the Bouledogue offers a classic menu which includes entrees like leeks vinaigrette served warm (8 euros), bone marrow or Saint Marcellin with lard accompanied by toasted Poilane bread (11,50 euros), and main courses such as tender sirloin steak with fried shallots, green salad, and "allumette/couteau" thin French fries (18,50 euros) or duck with pepper sauce, all to be enjoyed without moderation. You can finish off your meal with a marvelous fudge custard (9 euros) or a home- made iced nougat with red fruit sauce while enjoying the comfort of the wide moleskin seats under the benevolent eye of Elliot, the much- loved Bulldog 20, rue Rambuteau |
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Au Bourguignon du MaraisClose to Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), located on a street of Gallo-Roman origin opening onto a terrace, the Bourguignon du Marais welcomes you to enjoy a delicious and traditional cuisine. Gratin of crayfish tails in Chardonnay (14 euros) or six large Burgundy snails with garlic and parsley sauce (12 euros) will awaken your palate before continuing with a lovely selection of meat or fish. The veal kidneys with home- made purple mustard purée (23 euros) or the Boeuf Bourguignon Tradition (21 euros) will delight you. The soul of this restaurant is to be found also in the exceptional wine list, which is exclusively from Burgundy. The Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 2008 "Les champs Gains" Jacques Bavard (69 euros) or The Hautes Côtes de Nuit 2009 Jayer-Gilles (9 euros per glass) are just some suggestions among a constantly renewed selection of high quality. 52, rue François Miron |
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CaretteCarette, a new gourmet address has sprung up on Place des Vosges, amidst modern art galleries. A Parisian institution, the original salon is on Place du Trocadéro near the Eiffel tower. This second luxurious space, in the historic heart of Paris, is designed by Hubert de Givenchy. The elegant interior is pure Louis XVI style. On offer are gourmet breakfasts, celebrated flavorful macarons, croissants and other artful pastries. A complete brunch can be had any day and any time. There are sorbets and ice cream, too. At tea time (between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.) you might opt for subtle and delicious finger sandwiches or a plate of 5 mini-macrons. A range of choices for a discerning palate are on the menu. The fabulous decor is reminiscent of the glory days of the former Place Royale. Marie Antoinette would have loved this spot. 25 Place des Vosges |
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La Place RoyalePlace des Vosges was formerly known as Royal Square. And La Place Royale is a fitting name for this wonderful restaurant on the south side of the square, just near the Victor Hugo museum. And you’ll have a royal experience, indeed. While maintaining the French grand tradition of cuisine, its southern French cooking is constantly inventive. And fine quality is matched by low prices. The lunch menu is 18 euros and the generous dinner menu includes an aperitif, starter, main dish, dessert and ½ bottle of red or white wine per person, followed by a cup of coffee. All this is under forty euros. With impeccable service and a warm welcome La Place Royale is our top choice for 2010. Try the vegetable tatin, the prawn brochettes and the gourmet coffee with homemade ice cream. The terrace on the loveliest square in Paris is extra added plus. Come quick, but don’t forget to reserve! Arnaud Lessatini and Frédéric Paquet, the two creators, welcome you as friends. 2 bis Place des Vosges, |
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BaciJust a few steps from the top contemporary art galleries in the Marais, the arty chic atmosphere of the Baci and its glamourous welcome will seduce you as much as its refined cuisine and inventive Italian flavors. Try the excellent risotto funghi (19 euros) or their famous Milinaise Scalopini XXL (25 euros), preceded by a frito or San Daniele aged for 24 months. There's a terrific Italian wine list to choose from like the Venturini Valpolicello-valpo or the Tuscan white Ruffino. A pleasantly affordable price-fixed menu of two dishes for lunch is just 18 euros. Attentive and personalized service gives you a sense of the Dolce Vita and you may just want you to long to linger a while... well you're in luck because the Baci has a private club that is hopping till 4 AM (reservations only). 36, rue de Turenne 75003 Paris |
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Pain Vin FromagePain Vin Fromage is the type of restaurant you'll never find anywhere else -- it's all about cheese! Did you know that France has over 400 different kinds of cheese to choose from? At Pain Vin Fromage, you'll be able to try from 5 to 20 of them, depending upon your appetite. Simply select a region and discover the cheese -- they offer a wide selection starting at 17 euros. Taste fresh Burgundy wine and indulge in fondue from the Savoy or Burgundy regions for only 16 euros. Enjoy the taste of nature and tradition without thinking about your waistline - cheese is full of protein and calcium, just go easy on the bread! Pain Vin Fromage lets you really savour French traditions, especially those that will most please your senses. 3 Rue Geoffroy L’Angevin |
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Royal TurenneVery close to Place des Vosges, opening onto a panoramic terrace, traditional Auvergne and regional French cuisine awaits you at Royal Turenne. Beef steak topped with a slice of foie gras and morel mushroom Brouilly wine sauce, frogs legs Provencal (13.80 euros) or garlicky bone marrow with bearnaise sauce are some dishes on the menu. The « planches de montagne » (13 euros) charcuterie entrées are recommended for lovers of patés and cooked deli meats. A 3 course "Turenne" fixed menu at 19.90 euros is also available. In season, you will find stewed hare and coq au vin. Fish lovers will also appreciate the freshness of the products, which all come from Grandcamps in Normandy. The surprise of the Royal Turenne also lies in its large "collection" of wine. Amateurs of young and old wines, try the excellent Sancerre Domain de la Garenne (Godon-Reverdy) or the Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru, which are just a few examples in a rich menu of more than 80 types of wine. Do not hesitate to seek advice from the chef and his wife, who masterfully run this traditional restaurant. 24, rue de Turenne |
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Vin des PyrenéesAlexandre Chapon and Thierry Costes run this romantic traditional French bistrot with antique post card memorabilia adorning the walls and a 1930 charm. The lunchtime 2-course menu is fabulous at only 15 €… The menu changes every day. Be sure to take a souvenir vintage "carte de visite". For dinner, you must book to get a table ! 25, rue Beautreillis |
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CHEESE CULTURE : |
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Pain Vin Fromages :This unique Parisian restaurant gives you the chance to discover more than 60 different types of cheeses. From soft goat cheese to sharp Roquefort, the King of Cheeses. To take home, the best « Fromager » with the largest selection is located in rue de Bretagne, 75003 next to the Marché des Enfants Rouges : The Jouanault Familly welcomes you Tuesday to Sunday morning and provides you with a vacum pack system to bring the cheese home without the customs ( nor your seat neighbour ) noticing anything at all. |
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ROQUEFORT — THE "KING" OF CHEESES |
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When I first arrived in Paris, many decades ago, one of the "must" addresses praised to me by savvy locals was the world-renowned cheese restaurant Androuet on rue d'Amsterdam, alas now defunct (the multiple cheese shops it has birthed are a pale shadow of their genitor). The original Androuet was a pilgrim shrine of cheese devotees from all over the world, playing host to such sophisticated connoisseurs as writer Colette and Orson Welles. As years went by Androuet faded away from my memory, gone the way of so many beloved establishments that are no more. But in recent years it made its way back to my memory when I visited two other cheese shrines on two contrasting sites: The iconic Paxton and Whitfield on London's Jermyn Street and the Hôtel Moderne in Saint-Affrique in southwest France. Like Fauchon in Paris, for example, the London shop started as a market stall, back in 1742. A century later Queen Victoria was among the cheesemonger's clients, later Winston Churchill. They too have birthed new babes by now, and, surprise surprise, have even struck up a partnership with Androuet! At this moment of writing, as Prime Minister Cameron is being snubbed by President Sarkozy over financial European matters, Franco-British entente remains unshaken in matters of the palate, offering customers a spectacular array of the best of French and British cheeses on either side of the Channel. That's over and above the recent re-opening of Marks & Spencer in Paris, this time round on the Champs-Elysées. Saint-Affrique's Hôtel Moderne, in the middle of nowhere in southwest France and light years away from Jermyn Street. I discovered the little red-roofed town whilst writing my book Aveyron, A Bridge to French Arcadia, a remote and beautiful department of roughly 250,000 inhabitants and five times as many sheep, unspoilt, remote and authentic. The sheep provide their milk to the Roquefort cheese industry, so named after the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon which stretches like a ribbon at the foot of the cave-riddled Combalou plateau where the cheese is produced, a short drive from Saint-Affrique. The Hôtel Moderne, le dernier cri of Saint-Affrique when first opened in the 1920s, is now delightfully old fashioned, offering customers, mainly locals, a unique opportunity to sample the entire range of the legendary Roquefort, supposedly the most ancient cheese of France. Remember, that's the cheese that was banned by the US in retaliation for France's rejection of American hormone-fed beef. How old exactly is the cheese remains a mystery. A cheese mold discovered in the area has been dated from the Neolithic age, six or more thousand years ago. In 76 of our era, the Roman Pliny wrote about a cheese from nearby Gévaudan (now the neighbouring department of Lozère) being "the most esteemed cheese in Rome" although there is no telling it was a Roquefort. Nor has Charlemagne's alleged delight in the cheese ever been proved, but it makes for a good story. The Knights Templar, who had settled nearby in the 13th century (their five villages on the nearby plateau of the Larzac are well worth a visit) had no idea that seven centuries later they would be instrumental to the promotion of the cheese by Roquefort Société who own a 61%-share of the market and branded one of its cheeses Cave des Templiers. It is the one with the strongest flavour, evocative of the rugged lifestyle of those soldier-farmers and appreciated in the main by savvy connoisseurs of the home market. Foreigners find the well-balanced Cave Abeille 1863 easier on the palate. Société's flagship cheese, however, is the Baragnaudes, a divine combination of softness and full-bodied sharpness, wrapped in delicate aroma. The rest of the production is shared by six producers — Papillon, Carles, Gabriel Coulet, Fromageries Occitanes, Verrières and le Vieux Berger. I sampled them all at the Hôtel Moderne and appreciated their individual character. Le Vieux Berger is the smallest company with 9 people working for it, which entitles it to the desirable artisanal status, a guarantee of individual care and back-to-roots values. To my great pleasure, this family business manages to hold its own undwarfed by the giant Société. |
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LE MARAIS MAP, DOWNLOAD FOR FREE ! |
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To prepare for your trip to Paris, Be sure to print out
both sides A and B
You can also visit the following page where you will find more maps of Paris and le Marais as well as selected places to visit - photos and addresses will “pop up” as soon as you click on the colored dots. Fabulous, n'est-ce pas ? : parismarais.com/map-of-le-marais.htm |
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Copyright 2011 - parismarais.com |
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Pascal Fonquernie
